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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent

Warnings of imports of caged hen eggs as Ukraine and Poland become UK’s biggest suppliers

Data shows Ukraine and Poland together accounted for more than 15m kilos of imported eggs to the UK.
Data shows Ukraine and Poland together accounted for more than 15m kilos of imported eggs to the UK. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

Ukraine and Poland have overtaken other EU countries to become the UK’s biggest egg suppliers, sparking warnings that imports of eggs from caged hens are slipping “through the back door” despite welfare pledges.

Freedom of information data from the Animal and Plant Health Agency shows that, while the Netherlands supplied a large proportion of UK eggs in 2022, its share has steadily fallen. By 2025, Ukraine and Poland together accounted for more than 15m kilograms, with Spain, Italy and other southern and eastern European countries also having increased their exports.

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